COVENTRY – A section of the Coventry Greenway bike path closed for construction on Monday and is expected to remain shut until well into 2013.

The 2.7 mile section from Station Street to the area of Town Farm Road were closed for renovation work, including new riding surface and the inclusion of a parallel equestrian riding trail.

The equestrian train will begin at the Coventry Greenway parking lot just west of the intersection of Route 117 and Abbotts Crossing.

The R.I. Department of Transportation also intends to build a shade platform adjacent to the bike path in Anthony village near the intersection of Pilgrim and Laurel avenues.

Also included in the project is a trail that connects the Greenway to Coventry’s town hall and public library, a canoe/kayak launch upstream of Laurel Avenue Bridge and drainage repairs near Whitford Street and the West Warwick town line.

According to the Associated Press, the project will cost roughly $2.6 million and the closure will extend until summer 2013.

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